The Annenberg Community Beach House is located in Santa Monica, California, and has a delightful past tied closely to the Golden Age of Hollywood–the Marion Davies Guest House. This building exists on a five-acre oceanfront site, developed during the 1920s by newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst for his companion, actress Marion Davies.
This magnificent estate boasted over 100 rooms as well as a marble swimming pool. Like Hearst Castle, this location also hosted many Hollywood stars, including the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, and more.
The property is located right along the beach, with seaside paths for individuals to explore as well as a small cafe overlooking the ocean.
The guest house is open for guided tours. I enjoyed taking a tour just after the TCM Film Festival and learned so much about Marion Davies from the docent as well as from Davies biographer Lara Gabrielle.
The interior has several tributes to Hearst and Davies.
I also appreciate the historical efforts that went into preserving this home. In particular, the fixtures are original to the home.
Some of my favorite features in the home are the bathrooms because of their gorgeous, original tiles.
I love how the tiles are strategically placed to create a larger picture. For example, the bathroom with the tiles that depict a boat has blue tile representing the sea and brown to show the boat.
By far, my favorite room is yet another bathroom with gorgeous tile art. This one represents lilies on a pond. Dark blue tiles appear near the floor and gradually get lighter as they climb the ceiling to create the illusion of depth. Just before the ceiling, one can spot the lily pads.
Another exceptional room is one filled with nautical details as well as photographs of Davies, Hearst, and their Hollywood friends.
In 1947, Joseph Drown purchased the property and converted it into a hotel. Eventually, the mansion was demolished. The property was later sold to the State of California in 1959. By the 1990s, the City of Santa Monica maintained the facility until the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. In the years to follow, the City entertained ideas on how to make this space a gathering location for the public. Wallis Annenberg of the Annenberg Foundation provided a $27.5 million-dollar grant to rehabilitate the site. In addition to the new Beach House, the Marion Davies Guest House and pool were rehabilitated. New event spaces and recreational areas were also constructed.
The site opened to the public as the Annenberg Community Beach House in 2009. This combines portions of the Marion Davies Estate with additional updated amenities for the public to enjoy while still appreciating the past. It is located at 415 Pacific Coast Hwy, Santa Monica, California.
Hometowns to Hollywood 